Cristiano Felicio is on one of the NBA’s worst contracts, and the Chicago Bulls should try to unload him if they can.
Not only is Cristiano Felicio‘s contract horrendous, but he may also be one of the NBA’s worst players. On a team like Chicago that is supposed to be contending for a playoff spot, having $8 million in wasted cap space is simply not good. This is where the Washington Wizards may be able to help.
Ian Mahinmi is also on one of the league’s worst deals, but fortunately for the Wizards, he is in the last year of his contract before hitting free agency. His arrival in Chicago would be almost purely to balance out Felicio’s contract, but he would be an instant upgrade from the Bulls Brazilian big. Mahinmi’s departure this summer would be eminent, but this trade is purely a salary dump for Chicago to go get another solid piece in 2020 free agency.
As for Washington, absorbing Felicio’s $8 million hit should be no big deal if the deal is enticing enough. Here, Denzel Valentine’s name once again comes up, but this time he is sent to our nation’s capital. The Wizards could very well end up finding Valentine to be a useful player in their rotation, but if not the team could simply let him go this summer. As for Cristiano Felicio, he would once again be taking up cap and roster space until his deal is finally over next summer.
Valentine is an attractive piece for a club willing to take on salary, but the second-round selection is probably what is most enticing for the Wizards. If the Bulls have yet another poor season in 2020-2021, that pick will likely be a valuable one early in the first round. Washington could use this pick to either help commence their rebuild or add a player to help Bradley Beal and John Wall go back to their winning ways when healthy again.